Tornado Watch 700 covers 16 counties in the Texas Panhandle and northwest Texas until 2 a.m. Central Standard Time on Monday, November 2, according to National Weather Service messages issued Sunday evening. The listed area also includes two Oklahoma Panhandle counties.
The Amarillo weather office's watch message, issued at 8:20 p.m. CST November 1, lists Carson, Dallam, Deaf Smith, Hansford, Hartley, Hutchinson, Moore, Ochiltree, Oldham, Potter, Randall, Roberts and Sherman counties in Texas. Cimarron and Texas counties in Oklahoma are also included.
A separate Lubbock weather office message, issued at 8:17 p.m. CST, includes Bailey, Castro and Parmer counties under the same watch number and expiration time. Its listed communities include Bovina, Dimmitt, Farwell, Friona, Hart and Muleshoe.
The Amarillo message names communities including Amarillo, Borger, Canyon, Dalhart, Dumas, Hereford, Perryton and Vega. The published county lists do not include El Paso County or San Elizario. The watch is a regional alert, with its geographic limits set out in the two official messages.
The National Weather Service's watch guidance says tornadoes are possible in and near a watch area. It advises reviewing emergency plans and supplies, checking a safe room and preparing to act quickly if a warning is issued or a tornado appears to be approaching.
A tornado warning is a separate alert for a tornado that has been sighted or indicated by radar. The two November 1 watch messages establish the watch area and scheduled end time; they do not confirm a tornado touchdown or damage.
